Amy Sue Nathan's Blog: Women's Fiction Writers, page 11

Author Interview: Orly Konig Turns Her Love of Horses Into A Heartfelt Debut Novel

Nothing gives me more pleasure than introducing my friends on this blog. I met Orly Konig years ago when we were part of a writer’s group that no longer exists — but that evolved into the Women’s Fiction Writers Association with Orly at its helm.

What fascinates me with novels is how authors take a tidbit from their own life and blow it up on the page into something completely different, new, and enchanting. Below you’ll read about Orly’s love of horses, which is obvious when you read The Distance Home. 

I hope you’ll welcome Orly to WFW and congratulate her on becoming a published author!

Amy xo

Author Orly Konig Turns Her Love Of Horses Into A Heartfelt Debut Novel

Amy: As much as I want to know the springboard for the novel, what I’d like to know first is when your love of horses began! Will you share that with us?

Orly: Ahh, my love for horses. I think I was born with the horse-lovers gene. My mom claims it started because she was given a horse figurine when she was pregnant. An odd gift considering she’s horribly afraid of horses. Maybe someone knew what was coming. J

I started riding when I was 4. We were living in England at the time and one of my father’s colleagues had a horse. She took me to the stable and I was hooked. I even rode the back of our couch. I drove my parents crazy!

Amy: How did your love of horses transfer into wanting to write about horses in your novel? What was that spark?

Orly: I wanted to write a story about fitting in and the things we do – and are willing to put up with –  for that. Horses were my safe place growing up. When I was at the stable, it didn’t matter that I had a different accent or dressed differently or wasn’t part of the in-crowd. Even as an adult, the stable was my “therapy”.

When you’re working with an animal that size, you have to be fully engaged. Whatever stress or frustrations I was dealing with, were put on hold for the time I was riding. And I always left feeling more grounded. As the story started coming together, it was a natural fit to have it revolve around horses.

Amy: Much of the novel takes place at a therapeutic riding center. Do you have experience with a place like this? If not, was your research like for this setting?

Orly: During graduate school, I volunteered at a program similar to the one in the book. I was so touched by a couple of the folks I worked with – especially one young boy who became the inspiration for one of the characters in the book – that I wanted to include that connection between horses and humans as well.

Amy: So many ways to write novels, so little time, right? What was your process for writing your debut and how has it evolved over time?

Orly: The Distance Home is actually my fourth finished manuscript. My writing style and process has matured so much since that first book.

My process is what I call ‘pantser-with-suspenders’. An idea comes to me and after it’s had time to come together in my brain, I start writing. Blank Word document, chapter 1. And I don’t look back until I’m done with that first draft. I do some research as needed but most of the time, I write notes for things I need to get back to with more detail. Once the first draft is done, the plotter suspenders go on. That’s when I analyze the scenes, make color-coded scene cards and revise accordingly.

Amy: Can you tell us what you’re working on now? 

Orly: My second book, releasing summer 2018, revolves around the restoration of an antique merry-go-round and the unraveling of family secrets.

Amy: What’s your best advice for aspiring authors of women’s fiction? 

Orly: Find your tribe! Best thing I ever did for my writing. Early on, I was part of a couple of writing groups that were not dedicated to women’s fiction and while I learned a lot from them, I also realized that not everything was relevant for what I was writing. Having other women’s fiction authors to share experiences and questions with has been a sanity saver.

Orly Konig is an escapee from the corporate world where she spent roughly sixteen (cough) years working in the space industry. Now she spends her days chatting up imaginary friends, drinking entirely too much coffee, and negotiating writing space around two over-fed cats.

She is a co-founder and past president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and an active member of Writers In The Storm blog and Tall Poppy Writers. The Distance Home is her first novel.

Connect with Orly!

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest

Twitter

 

What’s in the Box? (Hint: ARCs of Left to Chance!)

The final corrections/changes for Left to Chance have gone off to my editor at St. Martin’s Press. When I read through the pages, I was reunited with Teddi and the cast of characters I’d left behind, and I was relieved to find out — I still loved them! Left to Chance has been called a “heart healing” story and in such a tumultuous time in our country, who couldn’t use that, right?

To be honest, during the last 100 pages, I forgot I was supposed to be looking for mistakes and I just read! That’s good, right? Right! It meant, of course, that I had to do it all again, which I’d have done anyway. (I go through my pages at least twice.)

When the pages first arrived, I photographed my desk, and many people on social media commented on how neat the desk was. Believe me, those who know me well were rolling their eyes.

Behold.

What was once a decorative table-turned-desk is now my desk/laundry room. Feel better about your own desk now? That’s what I’m here for.

And just after I sent off the pages via FedEx, this happened…

I know, right? Here’s a better view:

I’ll be back later this week with news of a giveaway — and if you remember — I hosted an ARC giveaway here before I even had them, and that one is being mailed out today!

This is an exciting time in authorland. In some ways it feels like November is forever from now. In other ways it feels like it’s tomorrow. There’s a lot to do and a lot to plan and much support to build for Left to Chance.

Thank you for coming along for the ride—again!

Amy xo 

 

Guest Post: How Author Ferris Robinson Promoted Her Book On Facebook Without Losing Friends

Full circle moment.

Our guest blogger today on WFW is Ferris Robinson, who was one of the first, if not THE first subscriber to this blog! Ferris’s novel, Making Arrangements, was part of Kindle Scout, and she won a publishing contract with Kindle Press! Way to go, Ferris!

Please welcome Ferris to “the other side” of the blog.

Tell us how you feel about book promo in general!

Amy xo

 

How I Promoted My Book On Facebook Without Losing Friends

Obnoxious. Overbearing. Self serving.

These are three things my mother raised me not to be. She wasn’t too far from the “aside from her marriage, her obituary is the only time a lady’s name should appear in the paper” philosophy.

Like any other author, I spend most of my free time trying to get my name, or at least my book, in the paper, as well as on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. I don’t think I’m the only person who hates seeing the same pictures from the same people from the same vacation/event/cause posted numerous times on social media. When people ask me to play a game or Like something or share something over and over, I get bored. Strike that. I get downright irritated.

I scroll through my feeds to be entertained and informed. But who likes to hear the same joke twice, and see the same info repeatedly? How is an author supposed to promote her book, and keep her friends?

There is a very small window between the release of a book and when it is old news, and I knew I didn’t have much time to get the word out with my debut novel. I decided that if I was going to be obnoxious, overbearing and self-serving, I better damn well be entertaining. So, in my effort to ‘inform’ folks about my debut novel (not sure anyone actually appreciated that information), I tried to make my posts as amusing as possible, or at least varied.

I started out with a book cover contest before the book was published, mainly because I couldn’t decide which one to use. I designed something with both cover choices in Canva (canva.com is free but addicting) and posted it on Facebook. And folks responded. They didn’t just click the Like button, they discussed the covers, mentioning what they liked and disliked, and how the two covers made them feel. When someone said “the one on the left is serene but the one on the right has lots of chaos going on in the background,” I knew I’d found my cover. What was surprising was how invested the people were who had commented. They wanted to know which cover “won,” and many people have proudly told me the cover I ended up with was the one they had chosen.

After “Making Arrangements” was released, my sister-in-law sent a picture of herself reading it on the beach. And that was the beginning of my ‘Where are YOU reading Making Arrangements’ campaign. I emailed friends and family and acquaintances and asked them to take my book with them on vacation and send pictures. And they did! I have posts from San Francisco, Bermuda, Maine, Wisconsin and scores of beaches.  My son sent a (staged) picture of himself reading while he sat on the potty, and five friends all curled up together on the sofa and read different passages at the same time. Someone made a video of herself reading the book while rocking a baby (doll), telling the baby it better go to sleep because she had to go to my book signing.

When I tagged the people who sent them, the pictures of my book in front of Telegraph Hill or beside azure blue water went in their feeds as well, so folks I’d never even heard of saw my book cover and hopefully weren’t that irritated because of the setting in the picture.

A mute little stray dog is a character in my book, and I posted a few pictures of my own mute little dog (all characters are fictional, I swear) “reading” the book.  These pictures seemed to hit a nerve, so I asked these same friends and family members to send pictures of their dogs with the book. These friends and family members are a lot more creative than I am. Their dogs wear reading glasses and look thoughtful. Folks seemed to get a kick out of these dog-reading-a-book pictures, and began posting more on my wall, unsolicited.

I heard about an app, mytalkingpet, and really, it’s the only thing that got me off Canva. I made everything talk, from dogs to chickens to mules, and they did everything from reading Amazon reviews (only positive ones) to critiquing the characters, depending on the expressions of the particular animal. And again, even if they are hesitant to post about themselves, folks love sharing pictures of their own pets, and it just happened those pets were saying amusing things while “reading” my book.

The most popular post was probably my friend’s video of one of my more colorful characters. She dressed up as the grammar-butchering fashion plate AJ Cole and talked about my book in an affected southern accent. Folks went nuts because she was really funny. So then I made my mother (the same one who believes ladies should not be in the paper) don a wig and make a couple of videos portraying different characters. And again, people loved these videos. The “actresses” didn’t drone on about the book details, but portrayed a character that was entertaining, or at least their portrayal was entertaining.  I wouldn’t say these particular posts went viral, but they spread organically to just under 2K views each, many more than my paid posts.

I keep a copy of my book in my purse, and video anyone who’s willing to read a quick passage or give their critique in a few seconds. If someone mentions my book, I whip out my cell phone, hand them the book and ask them to repeat themselves. Folks don’t seem as happy to see me as they used to, but the window will be closed soon.

I knew I was on to something when a woman came to one of my book signings dressed as AJ Cole, and no, she wasn’t my mother. She was a Facebook friend who apparently hadn’t tired of my posts. She wore a pink boa and a blond wig, was draped in jewels and used double negatives – and didn’t get out of character the entire night.

“Are you going to have a contest for all your posts?” she asked on Facebook.

And that gave me an idea …

Ferris Robinson is the author of “Making Arrangements” and “Dogs and Love – Sixteen Stories of Fidelity” as well as “The Gorgeless Gourmet’s Cookbook.” She is the editor of the Lookout Mountain Mirror and the Signal Mountain Mirror, and lives near Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband and dogs. Her three grown sons and daughter-in-law don’t live nearly close enough. Find her on Facebook or Twitter as fkrobinson, or at ferrisrobinson.com.

Debut Author Jessica Strawser Writes a Whip-Smart Page-Turner (and yes, I love hypens)

Writers’ live intersect these days, and for me, with no one is this more true than with debut author Jessica Strawser.

We’ve exchange writing war stories and publishing journeys via email for over the past few years, and Jessica is the editor of Writer’s Digest where I’ve had multiple articles and essays published. We are both members of WFWA, and Jessica has joined the online reader group, Bloom, where I am one of the hosting Tall Poppy Writers. More than a year ago, her editor approached me to blurb Jessica’s debut novel, ALMOST MISSED YOU, which hit bookshelves and e-readers on Tuesday.

That editor who emailed me early in 2016?

Is now my editor, too.

So you see, this writer world isn’t so isolating all the time after all.

But that’s not why we’re here today. We’re here to celebrate ALMOST MISSED YOU!

Look at that cover! (I may be biased but St. Martin’s really knocks covers out of the park, just sayin’.) To me it evokes a broken world. And that’s what you’ll find in this story.

Here’s what I had to say about it:

In ALMOST MISSED YOU, debut author Jessica Strawser meticulously weaves together a kidnapped child, friends in turmoil, and a Craigslist ad into a tangled web of secrets, lies, and unexpected alliances. This heart-breaking page-turner will make you question how well you really know everyone you hold dear. 

At it’s core, this novel is about a woman’s life and how she navigates through it, with the tools and the information she has. As that changes, so does she. To me, that’s what makes it women’s fiction. It’s definitely got the suspense thing going for it too, which is right on trend. Most importantly, to me, it’s whip-smart. I always appreciate when an author gives me credit for being a savvy reader.

I don’t know how women authors with littles (as they’re now called, I’ve been noticing. I just called mine kids) get books written. Let alone authors with families and full time jobs (which is most of them). I am in awe. I have one dog and a reality TV radar, and that’s enough for me. But not Jessica.

By day, Jessica Strawser is the editorial director of Writer’s Digest magazine, North America’s leading publication for aspiring and working writers since 1920. By night, she is a fiction writer. And by the minute, she is a proud wife and mom to two super sweet and super young kids in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her diverse career in the publishing industry spans more than 15 years and includes stints in book editing, marketing and public relations, and freelance writing and editing. She blogs at WritersDigest.com and elsewhere, and enjoys speaking at conferences and events that are kind enough to invite her.

If you don’t know Jessica, you should. And check out her long-awaited and well-deserved debut novel.

Because one day — it could be you!

Amy xo

jessicastrawser.com / Twitter @jessicastrawser / Facebook @jessicastrawserauthor

Does Writing A Novel Ever Get Easier?

One of the questions I’m asked by readers and writers is:

“Does it get easier?”

Novel writing, that is.

The short answer is no, writing a novel never gets easier.

The long answer is, it doesn’t necessarily get more difficult either. It gets, um, different.

Each novel is brand new, and for me, so is the process of writing it. This doesn’t mean I haven’t learned a lot and adapted, streamlined some of the ways I get from A to B. I have. It also means that some things take me longer and require more work. For me, the process evolves as a new set of story challenges emerges. The trick is to see this, and combat it, before I’ve written 300 pages.  This process, coupled with the love of a story, is what keeps me engaged. It would be a nightmare,

As you know, I sent off about sixty pages of THE LAST BATHING BEAUTY to my agent a few weeks ago. She and I have a copacetic brainstorming relationship, and a friendship that is layered with our business connection. I am very lucky, and I know that.

This is what she told me about those sixty pages.

“I didn’t love them yet.” (Cue collection supportive groan!)

And my response was, “Why not?”

She then told me that she did love the pages I’d written with young Betty in 1951 (collective cheer!) but not so much the pages with 84-year-old Boop in the present day. So I digested this. I’ve written three well-received contemporary novels but I nailed the historical portion of the pages.

What on earth was my problem?

It was two-fold (thanking the writing juju it wasn’t ten-fold, believe me).

I rushed.

This is not a new issue for me. I am so “not plot” oriented that I try extra hard to get in what the characters are doing and their purpose in the story.  I’ve done this before, and yes, it is in direct opposition to also at times being told that my drafts are quiet and not enough happens. Slowing down seems counterproductive to me, when readers are lapping up page-turning domestic thrillers.

But as soon as she said it, I saw it and knew it was true.

I edit and coach a lot of writers, and their work is crystal clear to me.

My own? Not so much. Which is a reason I wanted an editorial agent, and why I remain a workshop junkie.

Then she said the most important words I heard that day, the ones that set me off on the trail of revisions and understanding. Or re-understanding.

“I want to know who Boop is, not what she’s doing.”

I had forgotten to make this ABOUT Boop.

Or not forgotten, but pushed it aside.

I was so focused on what Boop was doing to get ready to sell her family home, that I didn’t impart who she was.

I know who Boop is, I know this in my core. (And my agent believes this.) I just haven’t succeeded yet in getting it on the page (well, I’ve revised, so maybe I have). The fact that in the prologue, Betty’s emotional dilemma is on the page right away, gives me hope. We know who she is–a reluctant bride who knows she’s beautiful.  That makes the reader wonder WHY and continue reading to find out why, or at least part of why.

So while I’m annoyed with myself for the detour, it’s one that won’t allow me to get bored. Because if there’s something worse than a bored reader, it’s a bored writer.

Here’s my new first paragraph of the current day first chapter. I don’t know how close I am to being ready with this, but I’m making progress and will be sending pages back to my agent next week.

Setting the table for three, instead of four, turned a routine chore into a puzzle, and Betty “Boop” Peck did not like puzzles. She didn’t know which one of their group would be the third, the one not part of a pair.  It had been seventy years or more since she’d thought of her friends as guests, if she ever had, but this was Boop’s house—her family home—so perhaps, as hostess, she should be the third.

Who was she kidding? At eighty-four, she wasn’t much of a hostess. She was more like a Walmart greeter.

Does this begin to convey who Boop is? Tell me in the comments.

I believe it does. It’s interwoven with a bit of what she’s doing (she can’t just be thinking all the time) which also speaks to who she is. It’s this cohesion that will make this story work, eventually.

I’ll continue sharing the process here on the blog–the process, the writing, the ups, the downs.

It’s always a ride and it’s nice to have company!

Speaking of good company, have you joined BLOOM yet? It’s a members-only reader group on Facebook with book talk, girl talk, giveaways, and camaraderie. I have a video and a FB live on the page (you can search Amy Nathan on the page to find it, or look through the videos) which was so much fun to do! Check it out!  bit.ly/areyouinbloom And when you’re there, tag me to say hi, even if you’re more of a lurker!

I’m getting my first-pass pages this week, so I’ll be back with a picture or two and my thoughts on that process.  And in a few weeks I’ll have my long-awaited ARCs of Left to Chance, so keep checking back for new and giveaways.

Does novel writing get easier for you? Tell me in the comments! (And if it does, please include that pixie dust with your answer!)

Amy xo 

 

 

WFWA WEST COAST CONFERENCE

If you’re a women’s fiction writer or even thinking about writing women’s fiction, you should check out Women’s Fiction Writers Association. I have been part of this organization since before it was one! No, it is not affiliated with my blog, but we have a lot in common, which is why I am always suggesting that writers check it out.

And now, if you’re on the West Coast, you can head to a real life conference with your fellow WF writers!

Are you a WFWA member? Tell us what you love about it in the comments! (I’ll add my two cents as well.)

Amy xo

 

Author Emily Liebert’s Special Giveaway!

If you know me, you know I am a lipstick and lip gloss hoarder collector.

So when author Emily Liebert offered to send a set of lip glosses specially created for her book SOME WOMEN, to anyone in the US who purchased before April 1, 2017, I couldn’t resist making sure all my favorite women’s fiction writers (and readers) knew about this bonafide bonanza!

Just click the link in bold to find out more, to buy the book, and to scoop up this offer from Emily.

I think Salmon is a classic color, Candy Apple is ripe for a night out, and Wild Orchid would make you bloom bright on a fun girl’s day out! What do you think?

And, of course, I think all of Emily’s books are right for ever day!!

Amy xo

Emily Liebert’s Book & Lip Gloss Giveaway

 

 

WFW Book Review: A Bridge Across The Ocean by Susan Meissner

Hi friends!

I was fortunate to read an early copy of A Bridge Across The Ocean by Susan Meissner. I love books that combine the past with the present, and this book gives it a fresh twist. Add to that, compelling characters I cared about in all the storylines and timeframes — and it’s a winning combination. Susan Meissner has mastered this type of storytelling — and I’ll tell you one thing — I’m taking notes!

In this story we have strong women whose stories intersect in the past and the present. To me, this was seamless. I like nothing more than multiple timelines making sense. The fact that much of the story takes place on, and is about, The Queen Mary, in the past and in the present. This makes for seamless transitions and to me, natural integration of the past and the present. That’s one of Sue Meissner’s strengths.

The characters are layered and believable, the story gives us insight into the past, and a peek into the possible — because the main character in the present, Brette, has the ability to see/feel/interaction with “spirits.” It’s not a ghost story per se, but I love a book that allows me — no, requires me — to suspend my disbelief.

Isn’t that what we need sometimes? To be whisked away and made to think? To hope? To wonder?

I know I do!

Amy xo

You can find A Bridge Across The Ocean at all of the usual online places (here’s the Amazon link) and at your local bookstores. Find out more about Susan Meissner, here.

 

This Week in Writing: What’s Happening With Boop?

This is how I picture young Betty in 1951.

Well, I did it. I finally sent off sixty polished pages of my WIP, The Last Bathing Beauty, to my agent. This new book is my option project with St. Martin’s Press. That’s a standard part of a book contract, that the author’s next work will be offered to the current publisher first, who will have the option to make to an offer, or not. If they choose not to offer, or if the author and publisher can’t agree, then the agent can take the book to other potential publishers.

So that’s where we are. My agent will read the pages this week (maybe today?!) and we’ll talk about any tweaks or changes, then she and I will work on the synopsis, which I’ve completed, but probably needs to be rearranged. Then, she’ll work up a pitch email (of sorts) and also talk to my editor about the new book and all the reasons they should want to publish it, and me!

I’m hoping that sometime this spring I’ll be able to announce a new book deal. I have no idea what that will look like, since The Last Bathing Beauty is a little different than my first three novels.

That fact, and the fact that I moved in November, is what has made starting The Last Bathing Beauty different from the other books.

First, this book requires research that goes beyond Google and girlfriends. I know. I have a stack of books, a hidden Pinterest board with photos, I’ve done interviews, and have gotten lost in a myriad of internet holes that lead me deeper into the subjects. It makes everything take a little bit (okay, a lot) more time, because there are details that need tending that I can’t just make up in my head.

Second, I wrote the first three books in my other house. As a creature of habit, I am finding that I have not yet setting into my writing niche here. That’s true with the blog, and it’s true with the book. But both are getting back on track. Today.

In my house where I lived for almost 18 years, I had an office. with an L-shaped desk where I could, and did, leave out research. I had bulletin boards where I pinned words and timelines and photos. I don’t have a lot of space here in my new place, so I’m trying to figure out where to, and how to,  S P R E A D  O U T.

I don’t write at a desk, which you may remember. I write sitting on the bed (like now) or on my comfy chaise, chair, or sofa. But I do edit at a desk so I can leave out papers, go back for bits and pieces at a time. I have no desk, so I’m deciding exactly how my upcoming first pass pages will get done, and where. (First pass pages are actual lose paper pages that are your typeset book, and the last time any small corrections can be made.

Issues aside, I’m crazy excited about continuing to write about Boop. You remember her, right? The feisty 84 year old grandmother in South Haven? Well things have changed for her. The book was from Hannah’s POV, and now the book is in third person, from Boop’s POV in the present. In the 1951 chapters where Boop/Betty is 18, it’s from Betty’s POV in first person.

And now, the story starts with—you will never believe this—A PROLOGUE.

Here’s the first paragraph:

September 8, 1951 — South Haven, Michigan

Any other bride would have gazed into the mirror, stepped away, then turned and glanced back over her shoulder for another peek. Not me. I hadn’t looked at myself all day. I’d avoided my reflection for several days. The person looking back would not be me. I no longer existed.

I wanted to say I died, but was mindful of my reputation for melodrama.

Fun, right? Well, maybe not for Betty, but it is a lot of fun to write it.

So much fun that sometimes I sort of forget I have a book coming out IN NOVEMBER! (Not really, except sort of.)

I will have ARCs next month — and I’ve already given one away (I didn’t forget, and that person will get the first one) and I’m excited and nervous to give away more — to have the book out there. Though I’ll admit, when I read it again for the first time in months I knew it was a story perfect for NOW. It’s hopeful. It’s heart-healing. And who couldn’t use a little of that?

I’ll be back more often now! I have a few book reviews and interviews coming. Thanks for hanging in there with me while I kicked off my new adventure!

Amy xo

 

 

 

Guest Post: Why Author Stephanie Elliot Kept Quiet When Her Book Sold

Hi Friends!

I’m thrilled to pop back onto Women’s Fiction Writers to share with you one of my favorite writers and book bloggers, Stephanie Elliot! Stephanie has spent years supporting authors and readers. Her debut novel, Sad Perfect, is YA (Young Adult) but as a mom to a once-teenage girl, I’d say this is a crossover novel with appeal for grown-ups as well.

Stephanie mined her own life for this book. It comes from a private place she was willing to share with the world–when she was ready–so please reach out and welcome Stephanie to WFW!

Amy xo

Why I Kept Quiet The Day My Book Sold

by Stephanie Elliot

I don’t think authors are ever prepared for the phone call from their agents saying they’ve sold your book. I certainly was not.

It was a Tuesday morning, and I was going into a yoga class (lazy girl yoga, not the hot, kill yourself yoga), and I hadn’t turned my phone off yet. Everyone had already gone into the yoga room, and they were sitting on their mats. My phone rang and my yoga instructor gave me the side-eye as if to say, What are you doing taking a call when yoga is about to start?

“I have to take this call,” I said to her.

One of the first words I heard my agent say on that call was “delighted” and then after that all the rest of the words rambled together, but I understood that my book had sold. When we hung up, I sat there for a second, wondering what I should do. It was 10:15 a.m. on a Tuesday morning. I had just sold my young adult novel. My kids were at school. My husband was at work.

What was I supposed to do?

I went into my yoga class and got onto my mat and did yoga.

Of course, I did some downward dogs with the biggest grin on my face, but I didn’t go in there and shout, “I JUST SOLD A BOOK!” because I didn’t know the women in there; I barely knew the instructor, no one even knew I was an author.

OMG I WAS OFFICIALLY AN AUTHOR NOW! I thought to myself during the bridge pose.

After my yoga class, I had plans to see the movie Still Alice with a friend. Talk about an uplifting movie to see on the day I sold a book. I went to the movie but didn’t tell my friend the news. I chomped on popcorn, watched Julianne Moore give an Oscar performance, and was a little bit sad over the storyline of the movie, but inside, I kept thinking to myself, “Oh my gosh, I sold my book today!”

But I didn’t say a word out loud to anyone.

You see, I had made a promise to myself that if I ever sold my book, there was one person I had to tell the news to first, and that was the inspiration behind the book: my teenage daughter.

Sad Perfect is a story about a teenager with a unique eating disorder called ARFID, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, which my daughter has had for most of her life. When she was finally diagnosed at 15, she went into an intense 20-week outpatient therapy program and I wrote the novel based on her experience, for which she gave me permission. So, she was the first person I wanted to let know about the book deal.

I went through that whole day, not telling a soul about my book. When my daughter came home from school I found a reason to get her alone so I could talk to her. This is the conversation we had:

“I just want to say thanks again for allowing me to write Sad Perfect, for letting me fictionalize your story,” I said, trying to sound casual, yet my heart was thumping with nerves and excitement.

“Sure,” she said, not having a clue as to where I was going with the conversation.

“I appreciate all you did, and I know how hard you worked in therapy,” I continued.

She said nothing.

“And I just wanted you to be the first person to know that we sold our book today.”

When she heard the news, we both cried, hugged each other, and jumped up and down like maniacs.

The feelings we had that day were overwhelming and I was so happy that I got to share that first moment with my daughter because she was truly so thrilled about it—maybe even more excited than I was. It’s a moment I will never forget.

She was so brave with her recovery and so generous in allowing me to share parts of her story, which are so personal, that I cannot thank her enough. I wouldn’t wish what she went through on any person, and I’m so very grateful for my daughter, for her grace and her kindness, and for the person she has become, and for even the person she was, because for what she went through she has learned compassion, empathy, and resilience and has become stronger than I could ever hope to be.

I am so proud of her; I am so proud to be her mother. I am so hopeful that this book will educate others on ARFID, which is not very well known in the eating disorder community.

Stephanie Elliot is the author of the young adult novel Sad Perfect (FSG, February, 2017), which was inspired by her own daughter’s journey with ARFID, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. She has written for a variety of websites and magazines and has been a passionate advocate of other authors by promoting their books on the Internet for years. She has been, or still is, all of the following: a book reviewer, an anonymous parenting columnist, a mommy blogger, an editor, a professional napper, a reformed Diet Coke drinker, a gecko breeder and the author of three self-published novels.

A Florida native, Stephanie has lived near Chicago and Philadelphia and currently calls Scottsdale, Arizona home. She graduated from Northern Illinois University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. Stephanie and her husband Scott have three children: AJ, McKaelen and Luke. They are all her favorites.

Website: stephanieelliot.com

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